Trigger-Happy Potioneer

The Limits of Mana

This is only the beginning. ~CK

Now first. After looking around the place a while, I found a sizable place for me to set up my home base and set my home spawn. Now I all need to do is make a house... I could probably use that Wood Magic I got earlier, but I haven't a clue on how to use it. I should have asked Loeta earlier.

"Asked me about what?" Loeta's voice echoed in my head. I jumped at least two feet into the air with a yelp.

"Loeta?!" I stammered. "Where did you come from?"

"Nowhere, I'm still in the grove. I'm just using the communication system reserved for guardians."

"I see..." I remembered my question. "Oh, how do I use Wood Magic? I want to make a place for me to sleep and work in."

"Hmmm... Do you know how plants grow?"

"Of course." I worked through the AP Biology textbook in the seventh grade and took the class last year for credit. Biology was covered in third grade. The entire process is ingrained into my head.

"Just think about that and say something like "Grow tree" or something."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yup."

No harm in trying it, then. I pictured something like the World Tree growing in front of me, closed my eyes and put out my hands. "Ago, universitas nemus!"

The ground began to rumble as my mana flowed into the ground. I opened my eyes and watched as small plants began sprouting from the ground, thickening and curling into dark brown strands of bark. The trunk thickened, growing into something similar to the center tree. Suddenly, the growth stopped, and the sprouts shrunk back into the ground. A massive migraine nearly knocked me out.

"What... happened?" I grumbled as I opened up my status window.

Nio (Potioneer/Alchemist/Ranger)

HP 142/142

MP 0/630

Stats

STR 25 VIT 21

DEX 92 EVA 119

INT 40 LUK 24

Titles

Guardian of Ilidas Forest (Unique): You have become the guardian of Ilidas Forest. All mobs in Ilidas Forest will be friendly towards you and those nearby. Your respawn point has been changed to [Loeta's Grove], and you will naturally regenerate mana and health while within the boundaries of the forest. You cannot receive the [Player Killer] title while within the boundaries of the forest, and will receive trait EXP proportional to the number of monsters that player has killed in Ilidas Forest. Unlike Loeta, you are able to leave the forest. Other bonuses from previous tiers still apply.

Current Traits (+7)

[Alchemy 16] [Throw 14] [Eagle Eye 22] [Enchant 1] [Archery 17] [Crafting 3] [Mixing 9] [Mana Control 21] [Discovery 22] [Combining 4] [Wood Element Inheritor 2]

My stats! They've been impacted! Must have been the death penalty...

My mana?! "Loeta, how much mana do use for the Wood Magic?"

"I don't know. What's mana? Is it like spiritual power?"

Of course, ask an NPC about mana - they don't have it!

"But if you try to create something really big, like my tree, you'll probably pass out before you finish. I passed out when I finished my tree."

That answers something - even a spiritual entity struggles with this magic on a grand level. My headache quickly faded away, which meant my mana was refilling. But it's been less than minute; how fast is it recovering?

MP 213/632

Fast. Well, okay, I can deal with this. With such a fast regen, I could keep exhausting myself with grand magic practice, thus increasing my upper limit, and in time I could raise my limit to the point that I can make my home.

Home! That's right, I'm still playing the game. What about my real body? I checked the time and my eyes - no, wait, eye, I forgot one is covered - nearly popped out.

21:58

It's been nearly ten hours since I entered the game! I need to get out and eat!

"Loeta, I'll be leaving for today. See you later!"

"Ah, where you going?"

"Uh.... out? Players like me tend to disappear and reappear randomly."

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that. One time, some guy died in the eastern sector. Then the same dude came back a few hours later!" I thought you knew about respawn.

"Uh, yeah." Maybe she doesn't understand logout?

"Okay, then bye! I'll take care of the forest!"

"Bye." I switched to friend chat and found all of my friends still online. I removed my chat block. Hundreds of notifications popped up in front of me like a tsunami, flooding my view. I brushed them all aside. "Hey, I'm leaving right now."

"WHAT!?" Delia's voice crackled over the com. "You leave us in the dark for forever, and then come out only to tell us you're logging out!?"

"Yes." I responded as bluntly as possible. That hurt my ears.

"Where are you? I can't find you on the map." Nic asked.

I turned off the location block, though. Does that mean the forest is untrackable? No, that wouldn't work; Nic found me before I saved Loeta. Oh! I'm untrackable as a Guardian in Ilidas!

"Same place I've been since this morning."

"You haven't left the forest at all? You didn't die?"

"I didn't even run into monsters." A lie, but I'm not going to go into that story now. "Ta-ta!"

"Wait, Nio, please-" Melly called, but I had already pressed the logout button on the menu.

The eyepatch went away first, and everything flew into some super high-definition background art. I could see the movement of the leaves on the trees, the shaking of the grass, the definite blue of the midday sky. I could even see the entrance to Loeta's grove. It was unbearable, but much less than the first time. The world dissolved into white again, and then turned black.

I woke up on my bed, stiff and in pain. Nature was calling very loudly. I answered the call.

As I left the white-tiled room that held the porcelain structure that brings immediate peace and salvation, my stomach reared its ugly head and roared loudly. I ran down and started scarfing down apples and persimmons until the beast calmed down. I remembered back to when I brought meals to the Three Beta-teers and watched in horror as they whirled through my thoroughly-prepared meals like a whirlwind. I now understand their situation - gaming is a tax on the body. My mind was drained. My body wouldn't move as I wanted it to. My body was in complete chaos.

"Note to self: Log out periodically, you're not like the others..."